Okay VI

cazzy · March 2012

What are the essential supplies to get my wok on?

Items I know I need

16" carbon steel w/ steel handles - Round
Chuan - what size do you have or recommend?

Items that I'm unsure about

Wok cleaning whisk?
Hoak?
Bowls for prepped ingredients?
Oil canister?

Also, do you make all your own sauces?

Thanks in advance Gary!

cazzy

Village Idiot · March 2012

OK, Caz,

I have a 16" round wok with handles (for the Large), a 16" wok with a wooden handle, a 14" wok (for my Medium Egg), and a 10"wok for the Mini. I prefer the 16" wok without the long handle.

You DEFINITELY need a long spatula. If you are buying from the Wok Shop, she sells them.

I've decided that the bamboo wok scrub brush is too harsh on the wok. I either use a yellow sponge or a plastic brush and I don't scrub hard on it.

I used to use little ramekins to hold each ingredient, like garlic, onions, bell pepper, etc. The sauce may need a small bowl. My wife just got me some glass little bowls, and I'll start using them instead of her ramekins. I have a squirt bottle that I normally use for the peanut oil.

Yes, I make my own sauces. I won't use any store-bought sauce, except soy sauce, and I only use that as an ingredient in other sauces. I got all of them off the internet except for the dipping sauce that I developed. You are welcome to any or all of them if you want.

My generalized sauces are:

Sweet & Sour sauce

Szechuan Sauce

Dipping Sauce

Specific purpose sauces are:

Kung Pao sauce

Cashew Chicken Sauce

Peppersteak Sauce

Mongolian Beef Sauce

Tempura sauce

I have other sauces, but don't use them enough to list.

Hope that helps.

scooter759 · March 2012

Cazzy,

I got my wok order on Friday. Pretty much the same setup, 16" round with metal handles. I agree with VI on the whisk, I got one but I should have skipped it. I got the 18" Chuan and Hoak set (home use version) and was a good choice. I got one of the oil canisters to try, like VI I currently use plastic condiment style squeeze bottles for all my different oils. For some reason no matter how hard you try with those, they get slippery. I don't seem to have that problem with the oil canister (at least not yet, still pretty early to tell for sure). I also got the base for the round wok, I have a gas stove and a heavy duty single burner portable so for $2.95 I took a shot. FWIW, I used the largest burner on my gas stove with the wok base to season the inside with the chives and it worked fine.

yellowdogbbq · March 2012

VI could you please share your Szechuan Sauce & your Cashew Chicken Sauce? Also what is the best set up for a Lg BGE & what temp do you cook at?

Thanks for the help,
Dennis

Village Idiot · March 2012

VI could you please share your Szechuan Sauce & your Cashew Chicken Sauce? Also what is the best set up for a Lg BGE & what temp do you cook at?

Thanks for the help,
Dennis

Sure Dennis.

Szechuan Sauce

2 tablespoons Shao Hsing rice wine
1 ½ tablespoons Ginger, minced
2 Garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoons Red pepper , crushed
1 ½ tablespoons Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Chili Garlic Sauce
1 teaspoon Sugar
2 teaspoons Corn starch
½ cup Chicken broth
Combine corn starch and broth in a small bowl to dissolve starch.Mix the other ingredients and bring to nearly boiling.Add the starch mixture to the sauce.

Cashew Chicken Sauce
½ tablespoon Oyster sauce
¾ teaspoon Soy Sauce
3 tablespoons Water
3 dashes White pepper powder
½ teaspoon Sugar
½ teaspoon ShaoHsing Rice wine
⅛ teaspoon Sesame Oil

Mix all the ingredients.

I have a 16" wok for my large. I get the fire very hot. Professional Chinese chefs cook on stoves that get 20 times hotter than a home stove. The hotter the fire, the quicker the cook. The quicker the cook, the less nutrients will be lost, and the more flavor will be saved.

yellowdogbbq · March 2012

Thanks VI, you've got me interested in trying a wok on my egg.

skotdee · March 2012

Is there ever a point where the wok is too hot?

I have just started stir frying after reading your big stir fry thread and of course watching your kung pao video

I went with the 16" carbon steel for my large BGE. I seasoned it according to the wok shop video on youtube.

My first cook was kung pao shrimp and it turned out great. For the second cook I tried cashew chicken, and while it came out great, I got a bit of burnt on "gunk" on the bottom of the wok, which came off on the chicken a little bit in little black specks. Best way I can explain it is like the burnt residue on the flat cookers at Japanese steakhouses that they scrape off when they're done cooking. I cleaned it off after cooking with a light scrubber sponge but it seems to have taken a bit of the seasoning with it.

Hopefully I just need to get my wok seasoned better. I have run it through a few more non cooking seasoning cycles by rubbing with oil and baking around 400 and it seems to be getting better seasoned. I think I'll try another cook soon.

Village Idiot · March 2012

Yes, I think you can get the fire too hot. My fire at Salado got too hot. As soon as I dropped the chopped garlic in, it turned brown, which was overcooking it. You want to get it only as hot as your controllability. As you get more experience, you can increase it. To start, I'd guess 500 degrees is good. After awhile, I think you could step it up to 700 or 800. Increasing the temperature means you have to work faster.

scooter759 · March 2012

VI, do you use an infrared to check your wok temp before you start your cook?

Village Idiot · March 2012

No. I just look at it. It's not really that critical. At Salado, I bet that sucker was in the 4 digits temperature. fI had been distracted by talking to people, and the fire got away from me.

cazzy · March 2012

Thanks VI. I found a few of your other sauces by searching, but I'll let you know if I can't find any I want to try.

@scooter759 Thanks! I'll get the 18" chuan/hoak set then. Hmmm, maybe you're just messier than VI and that's why it gets slippery. Lol

Chubbs · March 2012

@scooter759, infared not needed. If the flame is touching the wok, I guarantee you it is hot enough. (Stike, I know the coals are hotter than the flame!!!) VI is definitely the expert, but one thing that I have found to be helpful is making sure i have enough lump in there. Not because you need it, but the higher the pile of lump, the better chance of the flame being high enough to hit the wok. I usually recycle my lump, so a few cooks ago with the wok, I did not add anymore lump and the flame did not get high enough to touch the wok and the wok never got hot enough to adequately stir fry the food. Since then, I have made sure the lump is pretty full and that way the flame is high enough to hit the wok, therefore giving me the instantaneous sizzle when the food hits the metal. Sure is a fun way to cook, but if you have the stock gasket on your egg, say goodbye...

scooter759 · March 2012

Maybe I'll just use the method my Dad used....spit in the pan and see how long it takes to sizzle dry:)

NDG · March 2012

I got my order from THE WOK STORE (16" carbon steel Wok with 2 steel handles and round bottom along with a 17" hoak ladle and 17" chuan spatula) and completed seasoning then fired up the egg. My fiance and I follow a show/chef on the cooking channel - the chef is Kelsey Nixon and show is "Kelseys Essentials" . . anyone else a fan? Anyway, we tried her wok recipe out for Shrimp Lo Mein but added numerous vegetables and it turned out to be an excellent heathy meal. I didnt take any pics when it was on the egg as it was dark, so this is all I got to share along with the recipe below. Big thanks to VI as your video for kung pao got us into the WOK - might try that next!

SHRIMP LO MEIN

Ingredients

NOODLES:

Salt
8 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles, or 1 pound fresh

SAUCE:

1 packet chicken bouillon mix, such as Knorr, dissolved in 1 3/4
cups hot water
1/4 cup
plus 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce

LO MEIN:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger
1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced
1 pound
small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup
thinly sliced white button mushrooms
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 head Napa cabbage, finely shredded
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

For the noodles: In a large pot of salted boiling water,
cook the noodles according to their package directions. Drain and set aside.

For the sauce: Combine the bouillon, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil
and Sriracha in a large glass measuring cup or small bowl and set aside. This
may look like a lot of sauce, but you have a lot of noodles and veggies to
coat!

For the lo mein: Heat a wok over high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon vegetable
oil, half the garlic, half the ginger and half the scallions and saute 30
seconds. Add in the shrimp and cook until they just start to turn pink and curl
up, about 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp and aromatics to a plate and
reserve.

In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and add the remaining garlic,
ginger and scallions. Saute 30 seconds, and then add in the mushrooms, celery, carrots and cabbage. Saute the veggies until they begin to
brown and caramelize, 4 to 5 minutes.

Whisk the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons cold water. Once dissolved,
add to the sauce. Add the sauce to the pan with the vegetables and bring to a simmer. Toss in the reserved shrimp, aromatics
and noodles and serve!

centex99 · March 2012

Hand hammered vs carbon steel? I'm looking at wokshop... just trying to figure out the best to get...

Or how does stainless or even the cast iron compare?

eggnited · March 2012

This is a great thread with lots of good information. Gonna bookmark for when I decide to go down this road. VI....I think I was part of the distraction...but your Kung Pao was mighty tasty anyway!

Hillbilly-Hightech · March 2012

VI (and others using a wok) - I'm curious, when you cook food in a wok (or for that matter, a Dutch Oven, CI skillet, etc) on the Egg - do any (or all) of those methods allow the smokiness from the Egg to penetrate the food?

I mean, if you're wokking on the Egg, does the food taste different than if you were wokking at your stove, or is just the "Eggsperience" which makes it fun???

)

(Inquiring minds wanna know)

Mighty_Quinn · March 2012

For a wok on the egg, it's mostly (if not all) about the extreme heat the burning lump throws off compared to a normal kitchen stove burner.

VI (and others using a wok) - I'm curious, when you cook food in a wok (or for that matter, a Dutch Oven, CI skillet, etc) on the Egg - do any (or all) of those methods allow the smokiness from the Egg to penetrate the food?

I mean, if you're wokking on the Egg, does the food taste different than if you were wokking at your stove, or is just the "Eggsperience" which makes it fun??? )

(Inquiring minds wanna know)

Village Idiot · March 2012

What Mighty_Quinn said.

Village Idiot · March 2012

Hand hammered vs carbon steel? I'm looking at wokshop... just trying to figure out the best to get...
Or how does stainless or even the cast iron compare?

I don't think it really matters if it's hand hammered or not. What matters is that it's carbon steel. According to Grace Young, you cannot achieve Wok Hei unless you use carbon steel. Wok Hei is the "essence" of Chinese food (much like umami) and is the difference between good Chinese food and great Chinese food. Besides, there is somewhat of a sterile look and feel of a stainless wok, or teflon, or electric.

Hillbilly-Hightech · March 2012

Mighty_Q & VI - thanks, hadn't thought of the heat rationale. I guess I wouldn't really know cuz I don't cook on a wok, even on the stove. But, that reasoning seems... well... reasonable to me!!

But, it still leaves me w/ the question about taste - do using things like a wok, dutch oven, cast iron skillet, etc in the Egg produce appreciable taste differences versus a "traditional" in-your-house stove / oven, or is it mainly for the "Eggsperience" of just doing it on the Egg??

Botch · March 2012

But, it still leaves me w/ the question about taste - do using things like a wok, dutch oven, cast iron skillet, etc in the Egg produce appreciable taste differences versus a "traditional" in-your-house stove / oven, or is it mainly for the "Eggsperience" of just doing it on the Egg??

Particularly in stir-frying, its the hotter surface you can get on an Egg (or a professional chinese stove) that makes the difference in taste; meats and vegetables become "crisp-tender" with seared surfaces but still tender/undercooked interiors. In Egg terms, its not at all unlike a seared steak done on a hot fire versus a large cut cooked very evenly over low heat. (this is why chinese food from a buffet sucks so bad, the food is briefly cooked in a wok but then "stews" over steam for ten, twenty, thirty minutes; the only thing crisp are the chow mein noodles...)

Grace Young recommends both carbon steel woks and cast-iron woks, as long as the CI are made in China (much thinner than the American-made cast iron, which are too thick to heat very quickly, nor do they cool quickly when removed from the fire, which can also be important).

Stainless Steel, and nonstick-coated pans, cannot be "seasoned" as a carbon-steel/cast iron pan can, which supposedly makes a difference in the taste.

I'll soon know for sure, my 16" CI chinese-made wok was sitting on my doorstep tonight!

Okay VI

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